“This is the service of the Gershonite families to serve and to carry. They shall carry the curtains of the Tabernacle and the tent of meeting, its covering and the goatskin covering overlaid upon it, and the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting.” (Numbers 4:24–25)

Questions: Why was each tribe assigned a different task? Why was anyone required to carry anything at all? What do you thing the various parts of the Tabernacle represented? Do people in your family all have different tasks and chores? Why?

Ideas: Dress your table with a lace tablecloth or lacy fabrics, decorate with curtains, decide to make Bible study a part of your meal once a week, and carry some heavy wooden objects around, just to get a feel for all the different levels of spirituality.

“Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: The Lord’s appointed holy days that you shall designate as holy occasions – these are My appointed holy days. Six days, work may be performed, but on the seventh day, it is a complete rest day, a holy occasion; you shall not perform any work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places. These are the Lord’s appointed holy occasions, which you shall designate in their appointed time.” (Leviticus 23:2–4)

Questions: Though this chapter of the Bible starts out telling us about the holidays, the verses then go on to discuss the Sabbath – why would this be? What makes a holiday a special time? What makes the weekend or Sabbath a special time? What sanctifies a day and makes it holy?

Ideas:Serve items associated with each of the holidays mentioned above, apples dipped in honey, dairy products, an empty plate perhaps to symbolize the day of atonement, matzah for Passover, and a harvest food for the Tabernacle Festival. Alternatively you can serve food items that represent the weekend or the Sabbath to you – your favorite foods.

“Aaron shall place lots on the two goats: one marked ‘For the Lord,’ and the other marked, ‘For Azazel.’ And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the lot, ‘For the Lord,’ comes up, and offer it as a sin offering. And the goat on which the lot ‘For Azazel’ comes up, shall be placed while still alive, before God, to achieve atonement through it, and to send it away to Azazel, to the desert.” (Leviticus 16:8-10)

Questions: What is Azazel? Why must a goat be cast off into Azazel? Why does a sacrifice not suffice?

Ideas: Serve goat’s cheese, goat’s milk or anything made with goat products, you can also serve anything “wild” like wild rice, wild strawberries, or wild mushrooms to represent the wilderness of Azazel.

“Among all creatures that are in the water, you may eat these: Any of the creatures in the water that have fins and scales, those you may eat, whether in the seas or in the rivers… Any creature that does not have fins and scales in the water is an abomination for you.” (Leviticus 11:9-12)

Questions: Why must fish have fins and scales? What is it about fins and scales? Why those distinguishing characteristics? What do they represent?

Ideas: Cook an entire fish, head, scales, fins and all (gutted of course) and use that as the conversation piece at your table. Whole sardines, sardine spread or pate could work too, and gummy fish if fish are not your thing at all…

“You shall salt every meal-offering with salt, you may not discontinue the salt of the covenant of God from your meal offering – on all your sacrifices you shall offer salt.” (Leviticus 2:13)

Questions: Why do nearly all sacrifices include salt? What is it about salt that makes it spiritual or necessary? Is it a preservative? Does it enhance the taste of the meat? Why would God desire salt?

Ideas: Encrust your steak, burger or meatloaf with a salty rub (most steak spices are pretty salty on their own), serve a bowl of salt at the table for dipping, and eat your meat with the right intentions!

“They brought the Tabernacle to Moses, the Tent and all its utensils: its hooks, its planks, its bars its pillars and its sockets.” (Exodus 39:33)

Questions: Why was the tabernacle brought to Moses? Wasn’t he involved all along? Did it need his approval? Didn’t he approve everything already? What now was Moses’ task?

Ideas: Use Petit-Buerre cookies or graham crackers to have children and adults at your table assemble their own mini versions of the tabernacle (mishkan) using ready made frosting as the “glue”. This can also be done after dinner with a deck of cards or dominoes (minus the frosting!)

“Moses said to the children of Israel: ‘See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. He has imbued him with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with insight, and with knowledge, and with [talent for] all manner of craftsmanship to do master weaving, to work with gold, silver, and copper.’” (Exodus 35:30–32)

Questions: Why does the Bible need to tell us that Bezalel was talented? Isn’t obvious that God would choose someone talented to build the tabernacle (mishkan)? And anyway, then it tells us that God gave him wisdom, insight, knowledge and talent, so was he really talented? Are all gifts God-given?

Ideas: Set your table with a woven tablecloth, have your children create works of art for display on or around your table, serve bread in baskets to represent Bezalel’s weaving, purchase or make a lattice-topped pie, or simply weave your regular challah or bread recipe in a different – more artistic way! You can also serve Triscuit crackers or Rice/Corn Chex or make Crispix Mix – any kind of cracker or cereal that has a woven form to it will do. Different color strands of fettuccini, Twizzlers or fruit roll up strips can also be woven.